1) It was a typical American television show with lots of commercials and a recap after each and every commercial break.  Too bad there were so many commercials.  I would have liked more content.

2) Did they really need to play the Rob Thomas song "Small Wonders" for dramatic purposes? I know it was for entertainment value but I thought it could have been toned down a bit.

3) They made it look like researching your family history was really easy.  Now, I know the whole point of the show is to entertain and make money for NBC.  And really, most people would be bored out of their skulls if the show focused on how to do the research.  I would have liked the narrator to have said something about the challenge of finding the records, especially for Sarah Jessica Parker's ancestor, John S. Hodge, who was involved in the 1849 California gold rush.

On the WDYTYA web page there are a links to How To articles.

4) Did I like the show?  YES!  I loved it.  I will be watching every episode either on TV or online, or maybe both! 

5) I thought Sarah Jessica's reactions and emotions were genuine.  You could tell she became emotionally invested in her ancestors.  She wanted to learn what happened to them, even if it was something bad.  I remember her saying "I can't get him out of mind" in reference to her ancestors, John S. Hodge.  Also, while she was waiting for the documents at the Massachusetts Historical Society, you could see how anxious she was.  When the archivist arrived with the materials, Sarah Jessica said something about changing her mind about wanting to read the records.  She did anyway but with a fear in her heart as to what the warrant was about for her 10th great-grandmother, Esther Elwell.  That's the sign of a family historian - when you care about your ancestors and what happened to them.

6) When they showed the 300 year old warrant for Esther Elwell.  How cool is that!?

6) Sarah Jessica was so excited to tell her "mommy" about what she had learned about the family.

7) And the best part, in my opinion, is that Sarah Jessica's children are going to know their family history.

Sunday as I was watching the closing of the Olympic Games, I realized I had missed out.  After I posted my flag for the  opening ceremonies, I didn't do anything else for the GB Games.  I missed it! So, what happened?

We had an unexpected death in the family and had to travel out of town to attend the funeral. That took two and half days.  While we were visiting with the family, I was telling some of the Millennial Generation cousins about their family history.  They were surprised to learn they were descended from fugitive slaves who came to Canada on the Underground Railroad.  I was surprised that they had no idea.  Not only that, they are truly ignorant about slavery and the Underground Railroad in Canada.  Our education system has failed them about this important part of Canadian history. How sad is it that me, a white woman, knows more about African Canadian history than our African Canadian cousins?  Looks like I will be busy over the next few months compiling information about their ancestors into a book.  They need to know from whom they came from. 

When we returned home, the kids and I had to catch up on our homework.  The methodology course I was taking was ending at the end of February.  I had to finish my reading and assignments, and take the exam.  So I kicked it up a notch and actually completed the course four days early.  Also, as the end of the month was quickly approaching, I still had to read the chapter in Professional Genealogy for ProGen and start my assignment.  Yikes!  Barely got that done in time.

In between all of that, I did manage to post a short story for the Canadian Genealogy Carnival.  Once I finished that, I had to compile the entries for the carnival and get that posted too. Whew! I did read a few posts on other GeneaBlogger blogs about what they were doing in the GB Games, thinking that I still has lots of time to compete.

Furthermore, I was assisting a woman from Florida with her Loyalist ancestry.  She is wanting to get her UEL certificate.  Turns out she is descended from at least three Loyalist families, possibly four!  Wow!  So, I spent some time emailing her back and forth, sorting out family names and whose who, then doing some research online and at the local library.

Oh, yeah, I lived "regular life" during that time as well.

Anyway, as I look back at all that I did over those two week, I like to think I was competing in the GB Games after all.  It was just from the sidelines! ;-)

Posted by Kathryn Lake, copyright 2010.

Welcome to the 8th Edition of the Canadian Genealogy Carnival. The topic is Winter Sports in the Great White North. What winter sports did your Canadian ancestors participate in? Did or does your family travel to Canada in the winter to take advantage of the snow?

Five geneabloggers participated this time, three of them new-comers to the CGC.  

William Bruce Hillman presents Winter Sports-Carnival of Canadian Genealogy posted at THE HILLMANS OF ELGIN COUNTY. According to William, his family participated in all winter sports, but hockey was king.

Joan Lightfoot tells of her parents love of skating and skiing in Western Canada.  She shares how her parents met during another winter activity at Winter Sports in the Great White North posted at Joan's Genealogy Jottings.  

Lynn Palermo presents Hockey is as Essential as Breathing posted at The Armchair Genealogist. Lynn tells about the history of hockey in Canada and in her family.  This is a real treat.  The photos she has posted are terrific as well.

M. Diane Rogers shares how popular curling was (and is) with Canadian prairie women at Newdale Curlers? 8th Edition - Canadian Carnival of Genealogy posted at CanadaGenealogy, or, 'Jane's Your Aunt'.  

 My memories of winter fun are posted at Lake Style Winter Fun at The Lake Family of Lincolnshire.

Thanks William, Joan, Lynn and Diane for sharing your stories and photos of Winter Sports in the Great White North.

Now, it's time for Call for Submissions.  The topic for 9th edition of the CGC is Canadian Fashion Fads.  Share with us by photo and/or post the popular fashions of your Canadian family.  Submit your entry using the convenient submissions form at Blog Carnival. The deadline is April 16, 2010.

Copyright by Kathryn Lake, 2010.

Will those of us who already do family history be inundated with friends and family who are suddenly bitten by the genealogy bug? I think its hard to say.  I'm hoping with WDYTYA being broadcast on network television and premiering on a Friday evening,  people will be interested in digging their family roots.

in 2008, CBC (Canadian Broadcasting Coroporation) ran WDYTYA for only one season here in Canada.  It was on at 7:30 pm on Thursday evenings and was only one half hour long. I think it's too bad the show wasn't popular enough to be renewed.  The line-up of Canadian celebrities came from various apects of life, and in my opinion, had broad appeal.  Who would have thought that hockey player, coach and "Hockey Night in Canada" commentator, Don Cherry would tear up at Vimy Ridge where his grandfather fought?  Or what about opera singer, Measha Bruggergosman's reaction to finding out her 4th great-grandfather, John Gosman was a Black Loyalist?  Steven Page, one of the founding members of the alternative rock band, The Bare Naked Ladies has a fascinating family story.  What he learns about his family will shock you. Check out this CBC WDYTYA video with the episode of Steven Page  (Part 2 and Part 3).

As much as I enjoy watching Faces of America, I liked WDYTYA better.  Why?  The celebrities on FOA are handed a book with their family history already done for them.  The host, Henry Louis Gates, Jr. has visited these people's homeland and spoken with the locals and the families.  Unfortunately, the celebrities themselves didn't go along.  What I liked so much about the CBC WDYTYA format was that you see the celebrities talking to the older members of their families, asking them questions about who their ancestors were and where they came from and why they come to Canada.  Further, the celebrities themselves do a little bit of research on their family history.  You see Steven Page on Ancestry.ca searching for his grandfather on the 1911 Canadian census, and then visiting the Toronto Archives.  The best part, though, is when the celebrities go back to their ancestors' homeland.  They meet with relatives and neighbours, tour their ancestors' homes and towns, and learn more about where their roots are.

I'm looking forward to NBC's WDYTYA.  It will be interesting to see if follows a similar format to the Canadian version.  

The opinions expressed about these shows are my own.  I did not receive compensation in any format for my reviews.

Copyright 2010 by Kathryn Lake.

I am representing the country of Walengada. The flag I created at we are multicolored represents my Welsh, English and Canadian Heritage.

Competition Categories

Competition will take place in the following categories:

1. Go Back and Cite Your Sources
2. Back Up Your Data
3. Organize Your Research
4. Expand Your Knowledge
5. Write, Write, Write!
6. Reach Out and Perform Genealogical Acts of Kindness

See Competition Categories – Winter 2010 GeneaBloggers Games for more details about the categories and the GeneaBlogger Games.

Medals are awarded on the honour system.

I am hoping to participate in all of the categories, but I'm not pressuring myself to go overboard, either.  The whole idea is to work on my family history and have fun.

The methodology course I am taking and this month's ProGen assignment complimented each other.  Over the past month, I have learned a lot about research plans and document analysis.  I have created a research plan for my ancestor Harman Ryckman, which I hope to be able to implement.  I will be posting about this in more detail on Our Ryckman Roots.

Reading.  I have been reading a lot.  While I take the kids to their activities, and wait, I read.  I read in the morning, afternoon and sometimes late into the evening.  Taking courses and trying to achieve my goal of graduating requires lots of reading of course materials.  No, I am not complaining about this.  Although, sometimes I feel I am experiencing information overload.

What's on the agenda for this week? I am hoping to complete the rest of the assignments for the methodology course this week and be ahead of the completion deadline.  I have two new English research courses which start today, so I will be reading and completing week 1 course work on the week-end.  If there is a bit of time, I hope to start working through the research plan on my Ryckman line.

Finally, I am posting information about the next edition of the Canadian Genealogy Carnival.

Call for submissions for the 8th Edition, Canadian Genealogy Carnival.  The topic is Winter Sports in the Great White North. What winter sports did your Canadian ancestors participate in? Did or does your family travel to Canada in the winter to take advantage of the snow? Tell us all about it for the 8th edition of the Canadian Genealogy Carnival. Photographs are also welcome and encouraged.  Submit your post at Blog Carnival. Deadline is February 14, 2010, 11:59 pm.

Randy Seaver at Genea-Musings has posted his mission for this week's Saturday Night Genealogy Fun.  He wants us to tell about our "other" interests or hobbies outside of genealogy or family history.

So, do I really have interests outside of researching a lot of dead ancestors?...Yes, I do.  Here they are:

• Hanging with my family.  We like going to sporting events, playing board, computer and video games together, watching movies and reading stories and novels together as a family
• Watching movies.  Although I like to go to the show once in a while, I prefer to watch DVD's at home.  Why?  Because DVD's are subtitled and for people (like me) who are hearing impaired, hard of hearing or deaf, we can read what is going on especially in the scenes where there is whispering or loud music.
• Going out for lunch or coffee with my friends.  This is what keeps me sane!
• Baking.  Yes, I enjoy baking cookies, pies, cakes, etc. all from scratch.
• Cooking.  No, not your everyday 'what's for dinner' type of cooking. I'm talking about Julia's or Martha's recipes.
• Reading.  I love to read.  There's is nothing like curling up in my favourite chair, with a cup of good coffee or tea on the side table and reading a really good historical fiction novel.
• Scrapbooking.
• Walking the dog.  Helps to keep us both healthy.

I know some of you really do think that I eat, drink, sleep and breathe genealogy.  But as you can see I really do have a life outside of genealogy.  It may not be wild and crazy, but I like it!

First, I am back into the thick of it with my genealogical studies at the National Institute of Genealogical Studies.  Currently, I have two heavy-duty courses on the go with two more starting in February.  I am learning a lot!

Second, I am continuing with the ProGen4 Study Group. The assignments and chats with my peer group are fantastic.  The assignments are actually tying into the courses I am studying through NIGS.  I am thoroughly enjoying all of it, especially the interaction and feedback from other professionals.  I look forward to the chat sessions we have each month.

Third, I am working on a in-depth story over at my George Family Gleanings blog.  It involves the research I have been doing into the Lehotzky family.  They were good friends of my grandparents.  For many years I had wondered what had happened to Mrs. Lehotzky.  Now, I have some answers.  You can read the intro here at Remembering Mrs. Lehotzky: Introduction.

Fourth, I learned of an avenue of research I had not previously thought of for my brick-wall ancestor, William Ryckman.  I was reading an article in an old edition of Families (publication by the Ontario Genealogical Society).  The article was about London Surrogate Court Records at the D.B. Weldon Library at the University of Western Ontario.  Ah-ha!  These records may have the answers I'm looking for.  Time to make plans for a road trip.

Fifth, I treated myself to a full subscription to Find My Past.  I have been having a blast checking all sorts of records!  I'm hoping to sit down this week-end and get some research done into the 1911 English census.

Last, I created some new family trees at Ancestry.ca  just to see what information it could find on my ancestors. This has been a lot of fun and I have added some new information to my family files.

As you can see I have a lot of the go and all of it is good!  The only down side is that I haven't had as much time as I would like to blog.  I think as things progress with the above mentioned projects I will have more time, and more material to blog about.

The first change is that I have started four new family history blogs, one for each of my ancestral lines.  They are:

• The Lake Family of Lincolnshire
• Our Ryckman Roots
• George Family Gleanings
• Walsall Ways

You will find my personal family history genea-goals for each family posted on each blog.

The second change is that this blog, LOOKING4ANCESTORS, is becoming more of a professional genealogist blog.  The focus will be more on genealogy methodology, case studies, where to find records and less on my own personal family history.  Now, I hope that won't turn you away from continuing to read this blog, because I assure you I will still be my unusual, quirky self.  Think of it as family history how-to with a Kathryn twist to it!

My own goals for genealogy this coming year include:

• Completing my Professional Learning Certificate in Genealogical Studies (PLCGS) in English and Canadian Studies in time for the planned graduation in October which may be held in Salt Lake City.
• Answering more calls for speakers for genealogy conferences.
• Having an article published in a recognized genealogy publication.
• Officially open my genealogy business as a professional researcher and genealogy lecturer.
• Attend one or two "big" genealogy conferences.
• Meet other genea-bloggers and fellow ProGen 4 participants in real life.

2009 was a tough year.  'Nuf said.  I am looking forward to positive changes and challenges in 2010.  Bring it on!

Posted for the 87th Edition of the Carnival of Genealogy.

Copyright 2009 by Kathryn Lake.

Starting us off is M. Diane Rogers with Home Sweet Home in Vancouver BC Canada - Canadian Genealogy Carnival posted at CanadaGenealogy, or, 'Jane's Your Aunt'.

Evelyn Yvonne Theriault presents Montreal In The Time Of Tramways posted at A Canadian Family, saying, "My ancestors used trams as a method of transport and now it looks like my grandchildren will see them make a comeback!"

Janet Iles presents Canadian Carnival of Genealogy - Sadly, William Boyd made the news posted at Janet the researcher, saying, "William Boyd, husband of my first cousin, thrice removed made the news back in 1901. Read my posting to find out what happened. Research brought up some interesting information about others who also made the news that fateful day."

Thanks to Diane, Evelyn and Janet for participating in this edition of the Carnival.

Details about the next edition will be posted after Christmas.